Sarvas reflects upon his first season with the Galaxy, hopes for Juninho return

Marcelo Sarvas arrived in Southern California with great fanfare from Costa Rican club Alajuelense and in his first season with the LA Galaxy, the Brazilian midfielder delivered on every promise. (Read my rating of the Brazilian here)

In his first season with LA, Sarvas notched 38 appearances over all competitions tallying two goals and two assists, both coming during the regular season. During last season, Sarvas earned most of minutes filling in for David Beckham during his Olympic absences.

With Beckham departing, Sarvas and his deft passing ability look to play a major role in the Galaxy starting XI next season. A challenge that Sarvas himself, is eagerly awaiting.

“It’s not easy to lose David, but my job this year wasn’t so easy because I had to replace David most of the time when I played,” Sarvas recently told LA Galaxy Insider. “It’ll be a new year, there will be new players and I’ll have to fight for my spot on the team. We all know the job that I can do for this team and I hope that can show myself.”

With preseason still several weeks away, Sarvas has returned to his native Brazil where he intended to spend time “eating his mother’s cooking” while enjoying the company of his family by the beach. While in Brazil, he intends to meet up with his compatriot Juninho, who he formed a great partnership with over the course of the season. With Juninho’s return still question, Sarvas hopes that his fellow Brazilian will return to Galaxy next season.

“I hope the best for him; if the best for him is to stay [with the Galaxy] then I hope he stays,” said Sarvas. “He’s my best friend here [in L.A.] and I would like for him to stay, but we know how life is in football. It’s time for him [to decide his future], but I hope that he can stay.”